Mateo Salvaje

Born in the cold and dark of rural Alaska, Mateo began experimenting with noise and feedback at a very young age, being inspired by dark psychedelic music. Most notably The Doors’ “The End” and Vanilla Fudge’s “Season of the Witch.” Some of these earliest recordings as a six year old have been utilized on the AcidTrasH “Truckbreaks” tracks.

In the 80’s, the appeals of Madonna’ s electronic sleaziness and Motley Crue’s furious occultism were key inspirations. These sensibilities were later cemented by Marilyn Manson, but it was learning of Ministry and Trent Reznor’s multilayered self recordings that inspired Mateo’s drive to teach himself how to play and record his first real songs. Working in a coffee shop / used book store provided him with the funds he needed to acquire the basic necessities.

Torso was his first project, a punk fueled guitar and drum machine experiment that combined elements of The Cure, Nirvana, earliest Dischord and Wax Trax recordings, and horror movie soundscapes. Next was a project called Stigmata, a much darker and keyboard driven incarnation inspired by Skinny Puppy, Coil, Bauhaus, and Cleopatra Records.

In 1998, Mateo moved to Portland with dreams of becoming a gothic industrial superstar. Instead, he joined 1:11’s experimental project 75 Million Changs- the weirdest and most interesting sonic sculpture he’d ever heard.

After 1:11 moved to Vancouver, BC, Mateo went to Washington and performed several bar shows baring his broken soul under the name Enmity.

Making music into the late hours of the night he would take his pre-programmed and darkly crafted arrangements hitting the play button only to spew sounds that harkened back to earlier inspirations of The Doors and Skinny Puppy, yet was empowered by fierce and intricate percussion. In 2002, Mateo reconnected with 1:11 in Arizona, and despite early struggles, AcidTrasH eventually rose from the ashes of shattered dreams.

Mateo’s solo work can be found here:
https://soundcloud.com/mateosalvaje